Carsley Proud of “attacking” Legacy in England Squad

Interim England manager, Lee Carsley is proud to leave an “attacking” team, after they secured promotion to UEFA Nations League A. 

Harry Kane’s penalty plus maiden senior international goals for Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher and Taylor Harwood-Bellis secured a 5-0 promotion-clinching home win over Republic of Ireland, during which Jarrod Bowen netted the fourth goal.

“I believed that we’d score goals if we kept doing what we spoke about and it’s great we got our reward in the end,” commented Carsley on the team’s performance in which they secured promotion to the top-tier for the 2026-27 edition.

“It was a great evening for a lot of the players. The main thing was getting promotion so it’s pleasing in that respect.”

As he now stands down after three months in temporary charge following Gareth Southgate’s exit, Carsley felt “relief” at the legacy that he has built for Thomas Tuchel to build upon when he arrives in January 2025.

“We wanted the England team to be exciting to watch, be attacking. I see them day in and day out in the training ground and now people have seen it.

“I don’t think it’s a gamble with some of these players, they’re excellent players and the mentality is what stands out for them. Any challenge you put in front of them, they want to overcome.

“Like I’ve said in the past, especially with the U21 players, they have a history of winning and expect to win when they turn up for England.”

Carsley also spoke of the belief that he can do international senior management in the future, especially following his temporary but valuable experience with the Three Lions.

“I think it’s given the staff and myself the confidence that we can do the job,” reflected Carsley on what his time in the job has meant for his confidence.

“You always doubt yourself whether you can do it or not. We often speak about a lot of England managers sat in the house picking the team and to have the responsibility to do that, the trust from my bosses has been a massive confidence.

“The main thing is what we’ve done, and we’ve got promotion.”